Peoria, Ill. (WMBD) — As the days get shorter, temperatures get cooler and the foliage begins to change colors, its a sign of the inevitable…winter is coming.
Okay, that was cheesy.
However, the changing seasons and cooler temperatures are a sign that winter and our first snow are only a few months away. There’s no way to know exactly when we’ll see that first snow, but by looking back at what has happened in the past, we can get a good idea as to when the first flakes might fly.
The odds are that most of Central Illinois will make another two and a half months before seeing the first measurable snow of the season and three months before we need to find those shovels. Here’s a look back at a number of stats for Central Illinois communities and what we see on average.
Average date of first measurable snow (>=0.1″)
LOCATION | DATE |
Peoria | November 26th |
Normal | November 30th |
Galesburg | November 29th |
Havana | December 3rd |
Lacon | November 23rd |
Lincoln | November 27th |
Princeville | November 26th |
Yates City | December 2nd |
Average date of first 1.0″ snow
LOCATION | DATE |
Peoria | December 7th |
Normal | December 9th |
Galesburg | December 3rd |
Havana | December 8th |
Lacon | December 4th |
Lincoln | December 12th |
Princeville | December 3rd |
Yates City | December 4th |
Seasonal snowfall stats
LOCATION | AVERAGE (1991-2020) | MAXIMUM | MINIMUM |
Peoria | 25.9″ | 57.6″ (2014) | 7.8″ (1966) |
Normal | 19.5″ | 57.8″ (1960) | 5.1″ (1995) |
Galesburg | 23.6″ | 49.5″ (1960) | 5.1″ (1966) |
Havana | 26.1″ | 49.5″ (1979) | 8.2″ (2009) |
Lacon | 23.0″ | 44.2″ (1960) | 4.8″ (1966) |
Lincoln * | 24.4″ | 46.3″ (2014) | 7.0″ (2012) |
Princeville ** | 19.1″ | 44.3″ (1957) | 0.8″ (1966) |
Yates City *** | 21.7″ | 38.5″ (2010) | 12.5″ (2003) |
* Data records are between 2007-2022
** Data records are between 1904-2013
*** Data records are between 1995-2022
First measurable snowfall of the season in Peoria for the last ten years
YEAR | DATE | AMOUNT |
2021 | December 28th | 2.7″ |
2020 | November 24th | 0.2″ |
2019 | October 29th | 0.1″ |
2018 | November 8th | 0.4″ |
2017 | December 24th | 3.1″ |
2016 | December 4th | 4.2″ |
2015 | November 21st | 4.6″ |
2014 | November 13th | 0.1″ |
2013 | November 11th | 0.5″ |
2012 | December 20th | 2.2″ |
When was the earliest measurable snow on record?
This is a stat that many may find surprising but Central Illinois’ earliest snowfall on record happened on September 25th, 1942. Here are some of the snowfall reports from that event.
LOCATION | SNOWFALL AMOUNT |
Galesburg | 2.0″ |
Minonk | 2.0″ |
Princeville | 1.5″ |
Gridley | 1.0″ |
Peoria | 1.0″ |
Bloomington | 0.4″ |
Lincoln | Trace |
